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Fa Yi Xue Za Zhi Feb 2020Objective To discuss the application of 3D laser scanner and computer technology in restoration of the accident scene and reconstruction of the accident process, as well...
Objective To discuss the application of 3D laser scanner and computer technology in restoration of the accident scene and reconstruction of the accident process, as well as identification of the driver-passenger relationship. Methods The scene of a traffic accident, the accident vehicle and the vehicle of the same type as accident vehicle were scanned using 3D laser scanner. The accident scene, traces and accident vehicle were integrated using computer technology to restore the accident scene, and the accident process was reconstructed and analyzed by combining the characteristics of the body injuries. Results By restoring the accident scene and reconstructing the accident process with 3D laser scanner, it was determined that Wu was in the driving seat at the time of the accident. Conclusion It is more objective and scientific to use 3D laser scanning technology to restore the accident scene, reconstruct the accident process and analyze the moving track of the driver and passengers in the vehicle. It will help to improve the accuracy of forensic identification of road traffic accidents.
Topics: Accidents, Traffic; Computer Simulation
PubMed: 32250082
DOI: 10.12116/j.issn.1004-5619.2020.01.014 -
British Journal of Industrial Medicine Jan 1964The term accident proneness was coined by psychological research workers in 1926. Since then its concept—that certain individuals are always more likely than others to... (Review)
Review
The term accident proneness was coined by psychological research workers in 1926. Since then its concept—that certain individuals are always more likely than others to sustain accidents, even though exposed to equal risk—has been questioned but seldom seriously challenged. This article describes much of the work and theory on which this concept is based, details the difficulties encountered in obtaining valid information and the interpretative errors that can arise from the examination of imperfect data, and explains why accident proneness became so readily accepted as an explanation of the facts. A recent hypothesis of accident causation, namely that a person's accident liability may vary from time to time, is outlined, and the respective abilities of this and of accident proneness to accord with data from the more reliable literature are examined. The authors conclude that the hypothesis of individual variation in liability is more realistic and in better agreement with the data than is accident proneness.
Topics: Accident Proneness; Accidents; Humans
PubMed: 14106130
DOI: 10.1136/oem.21.1.1 -
International Journal of Environmental... Apr 2020The accidents caused by hazardous material during road transportation may result in catastrophic losses of lives and economics, as well as damages to the environment....
The accidents caused by hazardous material during road transportation may result in catastrophic losses of lives and economics, as well as damages to the environment. Regarding the deficiencies in the information systems of hazmat transportation accidents, this study conducts a survey of 371 accidents with consequence Levels II to V involving road transportation in China from 2004-2018. The study proposes a comprehensive analysis framework for understanding the overall status associated with key factors of hazmat transportation in terms of characteristics, cause, and severity. By incorporating the adaptive data analysis techniques and tackling uncertainty, the preventative measures can be carried out for supporting safety management in hazmat transportation. Thus, this study firstly analyzed spatial-temporal trends to understand the major characteristics of hazmat transportation accidents. Secondly, it presents a quantitative description of the relation among the hazmat properties, accident characteristics, and the consequences of the accidents using the decision tree approach. Thirdly, an enhanced F-N curve-based analysis method that can describe the relationship between cumulative probability and number of deaths , was proposed under the power-law distribution and applied to several practical data sets for severity analysis. It can evaluate accident severity of hazmat material by road transportation while taking into account uncertainty in terms of data sources. Through the introduction of the as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) principle for determining acceptable and tolerable levels, it is indicated that the F-N curves are above the tolerable line for most hazmat accident scenarios. The findings can provide an empirically supported theoretical basis for the decision-makers to take action to reduce accident frequencies and risks for effective hazmat transportation management.
Topics: Accidents, Traffic; Chemical Hazard Release; China; Hazardous Substances; Safety Management; Transportation
PubMed: 32316693
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17082793 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2021Lab safety problems have become an impeding factor that cannot be ignored in normal teaching and scientific research activities at colleges and universities. As the risk...
Lab safety problems have become an impeding factor that cannot be ignored in normal teaching and scientific research activities at colleges and universities. As the risk factors of lab accidents can be conceptualized as occurring at multiple levels, systematically improving and optimizing lab safety is the crucial route to accident prevention in labs. In this paper, a novel method that integrates a structural equation model (SEM) and system dynamics (SD) is presented to dynamically assess lab safety with the characteristics of insufficient data and uncertainty. On the basis of a questionnaire investigation, the SEM was utilized to determine the influencing factors on lab safety and acquire the path coefficients among these factors, which were embedded into the SD model as the weight of the influencing factors. An illustration was carried out to test and validate the proposed method, and a sensitivity analysis was also conducted to recognize variables contributing the most to the improvement of lab safety. The results demonstrated that the safety input of human and management subsystems is the most effective to improve the lab safety; meanwhile, "safety awareness", "emergency ability", "operation skills", "safety culture" and "safety training" are the top five contributing factors, which can promote lab safety in the shortest time.
Topics: Accident Prevention; Accidents; Humans; Laboratories; Safety Management; Universities
PubMed: 34204588
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18126545 -
Occupational Medicine (Oxford, England) Oct 2021Comparative long-term trends in fatal accident rates in the UK's most hazardous occupations have not been reported.
BACKGROUND
Comparative long-term trends in fatal accident rates in the UK's most hazardous occupations have not been reported.
AIMS
To compare trends in fatal accident rates in six of the most hazardous occupations (the three armed forces, merchant shipping, sea fishing and coal mining) and the general British workforce during peacetime years since 1900.
METHODS
Examinations of annual mortality reports, returns, inquiry files and statistics. The main outcome measure was the fatal accident rate per 100 000 population employed.
RESULTS
These six occupations accounted for ~40% of all fatal accidents in the British workforce. Fatal accident rates were highest in merchant shipping to 1914 (400-600 per 100 000) and in the Royal Air Force and sea fishing by the early 1920s (around 300 per 100 000). Since the 1950s sea fishing has remained the most hazardous occupation (50-200). Widespread reductions in fatal accident rates for each occupation have been greatest in recent years in the three armed forces and merchant shipping. Compared with the general workforce, relative risks of fatalities have increased in recent decades in all these occupations except shipping.
CONCLUSIONS
All six occupations still have high fatal accident rates. The greatly increased fatalities in sea fishing generally and in the Royal Air Force during its early years reflect, for different reasons, cultures of extreme risk-taking in these two sectors. Reductions in fatality rates in the armed forces over the last 20 years are due largely to decreases in land transport accidents.
Topics: Accidents; Accidents, Occupational; Humans; Military Personnel; Naval Medicine; Occupations; Ships
PubMed: 34415338
DOI: 10.1093/occmed/kqab108 -
International Journal of Environmental... Jun 2019Very little is known about the extent to which seemingly vulnerable younger and older adults appraise household risks and relatedly whether safety information focused on...
Very little is known about the extent to which seemingly vulnerable younger and older adults appraise household risks and relatedly whether safety information focused on raising risk awareness influences intentions to reduce hazards in the home. The present study assessed age differences in accident experience, risk attitudes, household accident risk perceptions, comparative optimism, personal control, efficacy judgements, and intentions to remove household hazards. It also examined the predictors of these intentions. Thirty-eight younger adults (aged 18 to 25) and forty older adults (aged 65 to 87) completed study booklets containing all measures. There were significant age group differences for all accident experience and risk-related variables. Younger adults experienced more accidents, had riskier attitudes, and had significantly lower cognitive risk perceptions (i.e., they were less likely to be injured due to a household accident). They also had lower affective risk perceptions (i.e., they were less worried) about their accident risk and perceived more personal control over the risk compared with older adults. Young adults were comparatively optimistic about their risk while older adults were pessimistic. Older adults had higher response efficacy and intentions to reduce hazards in the home. Only worry, response efficacy, and risk attitudes predicted intention, however, these relationships were not moderated by age or efficacy appraisal. Although tentative theoretical and practical implications are presented, further research is required in order to better understand the objective and subjective risk associated with household accidents, and to determine the factors that may improve safety, particularly for those most vulnerable.
Topics: Accident Prevention; Accidents; Adolescent; Adult; Age Factors; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Attitude to Health; Awareness; Female; Housing; Humans; Intention; Judgment; Male; Optimism; Perception; Risk; Young Adult
PubMed: 31242609
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16122237 -
Clinics in Geriatric Medicine Nov 2010This article discusses the role of home assessment and environmental modification in reducing the risk of falls and helping older adults and persons with disabilities... (Review)
Review
This article discusses the role of home assessment and environmental modification in reducing the risk of falls and helping older adults and persons with disabilities live in the community. This article reviews the research on the efficacy of home environmental assessment and modification. Researchers agree that integrated risk-management programs that emphasize on multiple interventions, including professional home-hazard assessment, along with home modifications are most effective for improving function and reducing falls. Important steps for implementing home modifications for persons at risk of falling are discussed, including exploring fall-risk factors and the effects of home modifications, identifying what changes are needed through home assessments, identifying sources of payment, and finding qualified installers and products.
Topics: Accident Prevention; Accidental Falls; Accidents, Home; Aged; Disabled Persons; Environment Design; Humans; Risk Factors; Risk Management
PubMed: 20934614
DOI: 10.1016/j.cger.2010.07.001 -
International Journal of Environmental... Aug 2020The exponential increase in aviation activity and air traffic in recent decades has raised several public health issues. One of the critical public health concerns is...
The exponential increase in aviation activity and air traffic in recent decades has raised several public health issues. One of the critical public health concerns is runway safety and the increasing demand for airports without accidents. In addition to threatening human lives, runway accidents are often associated with severe environmental and pollution consequences. In this study, a three-step approach is used for runway risk assessment considering probability, location, and consequences of accidents through advanced statistical methods. This study proposes novel models for the implementation of these three steps in Iran. Data on runway excursion accidents were collected from several countries with similar air accident rates. The proposed models empower engineers to advance an accurate assessment of the accident probability and safety assessment of airports. For in-service airports, it is possible to assess existing runways to remove obstacles close to runways if necessary. Also, the proposed models can be used for preliminary evaluations of developing existing airports and the construction of new runways.
Topics: Accidents; Accidents, Aviation; Aviation; Humans; Iran; Risk Assessment; Safety
PubMed: 32825619
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17176085 -
International Journal of Environmental... Nov 2022Based on accident data from the China Chemical Accident Information Network, detailed information was obtained from 2657 hazardous chemicals road transportation... (Review)
Review
Based on accident data from the China Chemical Accident Information Network, detailed information was obtained from 2657 hazardous chemicals road transportation accidents (HCRTAs) and 148 evacuations caused by these accidents that occurred in China from 2012 to 2020. The characteristics and the development trend of the present HCRTAs in China and the rate of emergency are obtained via statistical analysis. Based on the probability of evacuation scenarios via historical statistics, the social cost of labor loss value of participating emergency responders, and evacuees' placement and transfer cost as the consequences of evacuation events, an evacuation event grading model based on social risk assessment is constructed. Evaluating and classifying the risk of evacuation events caused by HCRTAs (148), the results demonstrated that the social risk caused by emergency scenarios F_61 (leakage due to overturning of hazardous chemical vehicles, which led to evacuation) and F_91 (leakage due to rear-end of hazardous chemical vehicles, which led to evacuation) was higher than other emergency scenarios. To reduce the dangers caused by HCRTAs, the framework for improving the emergency response capacity of communities is discussed and analyzed based on five aspects, which comprise land use planning, city construction, education promotion, information construction, and the layout of emergency resources.
Topics: Hazardous Substances; Accidents; Transportation; Chemical Hazard Release; China
PubMed: 36429900
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192215182 -
Environment International Jan 2021The experiences of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents showed that dosimetry was the essential tool in the emergency situation for decision making processes,... (Review)
Review
Lessons from past radiation accidents: Critical review of methods addressed to individual dose assessment of potentially exposed people and integration with medical assessment.
The experiences of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear accidents showed that dosimetry was the essential tool in the emergency situation for decision making processes, such as evacuation and application of protective measures. However, at the consequent post-accidental phases, it was crucial also for medical health surveillance and in further adaptation to changed conditions with regards to radiation protection of the affected populations. This review provides an analysis of the experiences related to the role of dosimetry (dose measurements, assessment and reconstruction) regarding health preventive measures in the post-accidental periods on the examples of the major past nuclear accidents such as Chernobyl and Fukushima. Recommendations derived from the review are called to improve individual dose assessment in case of a radiological accident/incident and should be considered in advance as guidelines to follow for having better information. They are given as conclusions.
Topics: Chernobyl Nuclear Accident; Fukushima Nuclear Accident; Humans; Japan; Radiation Monitoring; Radiation Protection
PubMed: 33069983
DOI: 10.1016/j.envint.2020.106175